/laptops/desktops for average users are a dying breed. I personally feel also that this is the year that the tablet finally became a usable device for more than just reading ebooks, since they have basically just turned laptops into tablets.

really sucks for me. I run an amateur recording studio out of my house and needed a new desktop. I spent Thanksgiving weekend waiting for online sales but the major sales were really on tablets. I guess retailers realize people that need desktop computers need them for a purpose and will buy them regardless

Too much time spent with handheld touchscreen interfaces has made me long for the good old days.

I want to get a new desktop with a big display and a mechanical keyboard.

Computers have gotten better in almost every way since the 80s, except keyboards, which have gotten way worse. We went from indestructible and precise IBM Model Ms, to squishy-key keyboards, to touchscreen keyboards.

ModernPrimitive01:really sucks for me. I run an amateur recording studio out of my house and needed a new desktop. I spent Thanksgiving weekend waiting for online sales but the major sales were really on tablets. I guess retailers realize people that need desktop computers need them for a purpose and will buy them regardless

If you need a desktop for a DAW and don't want to go Mac, just build one, man.

Something Intel-based, quad-core, at least 8GB of memory, with firewire, and maybe an SSD for multitracking (if you're recording lots of inputs)

Doc Daneeka:Too much time spent with handheld touchscreen interfaces has made me long for the good old days.

I want to get a new desktop with a big display and a mechanical keyboard.

Computers have gotten better in almost every way since the 80s, except keyboards, which have gotten way worse. We went from indestructible and precise IBM Model Ms, to squishy-key keyboards, to touchscreen keyboards.

i used to not hate touchscreen keyboards until i used one to write a 5 page list of descriptions for work... those things are designed to kill your fingers if you use it for anything other than entertainment consumption, they are not a replacement for a laptop

Honestly, I love my iPhone/iPad Mini and Google Nexus 7 but sometimes you just need powerful desktop. Not to mention that some software only runs on desktops and doesn't make any sense to run on a tablet.

I edit video and graphics a lot so I need a desktop and/or laptop. My fear is they will become more expensive as they become more of a niche thing. Every year around this time I think, "Should I get a tablet?" and then realize I'd probably only get much use from it while on vacations or planes where I rarely am.

Most of my main computing power goes towards compiling Android & ripping/transcoding dvds. I don't think there's an Android compile environment available for ARM platforms & it would take forever to convert mpeg2 to h264 with any tablet. I thought about getting a tablet, but I decided to get a Lapdock for my Atrix HD instead. Lapdock gives me a 1366x768 screen, keyboard, touchpad, usb inputs, dsub out. Lapdocks, or a dock with a touch screen or keyboard for phones, are what the manufacturers should be focusing on -- I'd rather carry around a docking screen with a large ass battery than carry around 2 different msm8960 devices that run the same programs and do the same damn things, just with different screen sizes.

/On Atrix HD, lapdock only works well with Stock ICS, Stock JB farked up the hdmi driver and it doesn't even work with custom roms now.//Really hoping that the stock KitKat we're going to get fixes HDMI and the Lapdock.///Motorola either really farked up by not developing and pushing the Lapdocks harder or farked up by releasing before phones had the power to really utilize it....probably a little of both.

ModernPrimitive01:really sucks for me. I run an amateur recording studio out of my house and needed a new desktop. I spent Thanksgiving weekend waiting for online sales but the major sales were really on tablets. I guess retailers realize people that need desktop computers need them for a purpose and will buy them regardless

It's about volume, I'd guess. They can shift a lot of tablets, and make money even when offering sales, because they are the big go-to device for casual users.

Desktops just don't see the volume to warrant sales in retail environments. That's why most desktop enthusiasts turn to building their own and buying components online.

My wife and I are getting both of our kids upgrades for their tablets this year. They play some Xbox 360 on the the big TV from time to time but beyond that, they just use their tablets for video games and TV. Plenty of free or almost free games out there combined with Netflix and they don't really need anything else.

pxlboy:ModernPrimitive01: really sucks for me. I run an amateur recording studio out of my house and needed a new desktop. I spent Thanksgiving weekend waiting for online sales but the major sales were really on tablets. I guess retailers realize people that need desktop computers need them for a purpose and will buy them regardless

If you need a desktop for a DAW and don't want to go Mac, just build one, man.

Something Intel-based, quad-core, at least 8GB of memory, with firewire, and maybe an SSD for multitracking (if you're recording lots of inputs)

I"m going the lazy route and have found a good deal on a base pc that I can put more ram in. it comes with 8 GB, I'll probably upgrade to 16. And I've got an M-Audio Delta 66 interface already. 4 ins/outs is enough for what I do. I built the one I'm using now but it's been years ago and I don't have the time or energy to put into building one these days

LasersHurt:ModernPrimitive01: really sucks for me. I run an amateur recording studio out of my house and needed a new desktop. I spent Thanksgiving weekend waiting for online sales but the major sales were really on tablets. I guess retailers realize people that need desktop computers need them for a purpose and will buy them regardless

It's about volume, I'd guess. They can shift a lot of tablets, and make money even when offering sales, because they are the big go-to device for casual users.

Desktops just don't see the volume to warrant sales in retail environments. That's why most desktop enthusiasts turn to building their own and buying components online.

Newegg has had tons of deals on just about every component you could want to build a really nice system.

Also, about moment above where I talked about my kids tablets, one of them is in middle school and the other late elementary. We actually asked them if they would rather have their own TV for their room or a new tablet. Without hesitation they both said tablet.

meteorite:LasersHurt: ModernPrimitive01: really sucks for me. I run an amateur recording studio out of my house and needed a new desktop. I spent Thanksgiving weekend waiting for online sales but the major sales were really on tablets. I guess retailers realize people that need desktop computers need them for a purpose and will buy them regardless

It's about volume, I'd guess. They can shift a lot of tablets, and make money even when offering sales, because they are the big go-to device for casual users.

Desktops just don't see the volume to warrant sales in retail environments. That's why most desktop enthusiasts turn to building their own and buying components online.

Newegg has had tons of deals on just about every component you could want to build a really nice system.

Also, about moment above where I talked about my kids tablets, one of them is in middle school and the other late elementary. We actually asked them if they would rather have their own TV for their room or a new tablet. Without hesitation they both said tablet.

Of course. It's so much easier to access porn and sext with their friends on a tablet.

Doc Daneeka:I want to get a new desktop with a big display and a mechanical keyboard.

Computers have gotten better in almost every way since the 80s, except keyboards, which have gotten way worse. We went from indestructible and precise IBM Model Ms, to squishy-key keyboards, to touchscreen keyboards.

They still sell big displays and mechanical keyboards. Cut the whining and go buy them if that's what you want.

And some of them are both. ASUS has the T100TA, which is a Transformer pad. It runs full Windows (not just RT), has a Bay Trail CPU so it's pretty damned fast, and comes with a decent keyboard dock. All the memory and power is in the tablet side; The keyboard dock is just a keyboard with a USB 3.0 port and the docking port.

The article is right, though... Tablets are the top right now. Everyone wants one. The unfortunate thing is that retailers get a shiatload of CRAPPY Android tablets in the sub-$80 category. These things are shiatty Chinese knock-offs, bad RCA/Coby/Etc. tablets, and just junk you could get online at the same price as the Black Friday "sales" had them for. People get them thinking they'll be "just as good" as a Galaxy Tab, Nexus, Kindle Fire HDX, or iPad, and then have a terrible experience because these junk tablets have crappy screens, crappy touch sensitivity, and slow-ass processors.

Look, folks: If you want a tablet that works out of the box, these are the only choices worth considering:

ASUSAppleMicrosoftSamsungAmazonGoogle NexusLenovoHP

Most other brands are either cheap junk, premium tabs that don't justify their price tag, or store brands that are just cruddy Chinese clones.

And no, I didn't list the Nook because the B&N app store is terrible, with overpriced apps and limited app selection. You can't use the Play store with the Nook (unless you root it) and the device costs way more than what it's worth considering the competition available these days. If you're in the market for a tablet from a bookstore now, the only decent choice is the Kindle Fire HD or HDX.

Personally, I'm sick of Android. I have an iOS device and a Windows device. I do have a cheap, crappy 3-year-old Android tab around (the only one I couldn't sell because it sucks so much) but otherwise, I've abandoned Android. There's no point to Android now that full Windows is available and functioning well on $400 tablets.

ZeroCorpse:And no, I didn't list the Nook because the B&N app store is terrible, with overpriced apps and limited app selection. You can't use the Play store with the Nook (unless you root it) and the device costs way more than what it's worth considering the competition available these days. If you're in the market for a tablet from a bookstore now, the only decent choice is the Kindle Fire HD or HDX.

Your info is out-of-date. The Google Play store is available (out of the box) on the current generation of Nook tablets (the HD and HD+).

ZeroCorpse:Personally, I'm sick of Android. I have an iOS device and a Windows device. I do have a cheap, crappy 3-year-old Android tab around (the only one I couldn't sell because it sucks so much) but otherwise, I've abandoned Android. There's no point to Android now that full Windows is available and functioning well on $400 tablets.

you have a pretty serious point here. Android tabs are great and all, but you are correct - there is not a lot of reason to purchase an Android machine when you can buy a great tab that runs a full version of Windows and will run off-the-shelf software. Android has over-reached in my opinion, and should have remained a phone OS, because truth is that these days a stand alone android tab is redundant unless it was just DIRT cheap.

Personally, I'm sick of Android. I have an iOS device and a Windows device. I do have a cheap, crappy 3-year-old Android tab around (the only one I couldn't sell because it sucks so much) but otherwise, I've abandoned Android. There's no point to Android now that full Windows is available and functioning well on $400 tablets.

I recently purchased a 64GB Dell Venue 8 Pro at Costco. It's a great tablet if not a little too small when running on Desktop Mode

I have a two year old. He's smart - he's not even 2 1/2 and can count more than ten objects, knows most of his alphabet, speaks in complete sentences with subordinate clauses, has several books memorized, and yadda yadda.

He wants a computer, because he sees me working all day (I work from home). He has a horrible "kid's laptop" with a 100x80 pixel display that does not a whole lot and he knows it's "not a real computer."

I want to get him a tablet, so that he can directly manipulate parts of the interface, play with the interactive books (always with me or my wife; we're not looking for a babysitter), play matching games, etc...

I think a tablet is something worthwhile, because he's very interested in them - more so than he is in his wooden alphabet puzzle, for example.

What tablet is better? Is a tablet the right choice? I thinking an iPad, just because that's where the majority of the apps are. My wife wants something that has a web browser on it so that they can go to PBS Kids and ABC Mouse...

So yeah, any other farkers with toddlers with tablets? Any suggestions?

I have a two year old. He's smart - he's not even 2 1/2 and can count more than ten objects, knows most of his alphabet, speaks in complete sentences with subordinate clauses, has several books memorized, and yadda yadda.

He wants a computer, because he sees me working all day (I work from home). He has a horrible "kid's laptop" with a 100x80 pixel display that does not a whole lot and he knows it's "not a real computer."

I want to get him a tablet, so that he can directly manipulate parts of the interface, play with the interactive books (always with me or my wife; we're not looking for a babysitter), play matching games, etc...

I think a tablet is something worthwhile, because he's very interested in them - more so than he is in his wooden alphabet puzzle, for example.

What tablet is better? Is a tablet the right choice? I thinking an iPad, just because that's where the majority of the apps are. My wife wants something that has a web browser on it so that they can go to PBS Kids and ABC Mouse...

So yeah, any other farkers with toddlers with tablets? Any suggestions?

frepnog:you have a pretty serious point here. Android tabs are great and all, but you are correct - there is not a lot of reason to purchase an Android machine when you can buy a great tab that runs a full version of Windows and will run off-the-shelf software. Android has over-reached in my opinion, and should have remained a phone OS, because truth is that these days a stand alone android tab is redundant unless it was just DIRT cheap.

And you would be completely wrong. Here is what Apple and later Samsung has taught people. You don't need Windows or the bloatware that is sold for it. Which is really why Microsoft is falling down now. Their market share in their two key profit centers (Windows and Office) will continue to drop like rocks unless they offer meaningful lightweight alternatives and learn how to actually connect with consumers.

/they should just spin off xbox and rebrand themselves as an enterprise company

I have a two year old. He's smart - he's not even 2 1/2 and can count more than ten objects, knows most of his alphabet, speaks in complete sentences with subordinate clauses, has several books memorized, and yadda yadda.

He wants a computer, because he sees me working all day (I work from home). He has a horrible "kid's laptop" with a 100x80 pixel display that does not a whole lot and he knows it's "not a real computer."

I want to get him a tablet, so that he can directly manipulate parts of the interface, play with the interactive books (always with me or my wife; we're not looking for a babysitter), play matching games, etc...

I think a tablet is something worthwhile, because he's very interested in them - more so than he is in his wooden alphabet puzzle, for example.

What tablet is better? Is a tablet the right choice? I thinking an iPad, just because that's where the majority of the apps are. My wife wants something that has a web browser on it so that they can go to PBS Kids and ABC Mouse...

So yeah, any other farkers with toddlers with tablets? Any suggestions?

The LadyPult and I have an old Kindle Fire we use with our MiniPult, it can load PBSkids/Netflix and has a bunch of free kids drawing and balloon or bubble popping apps for toddlers. You can find them pretty cheap used (considering that realistically it will end up broken).

So my suggestion: spend as LITTLE as possible, you can buy 2 kindle Fires for one Ipad usually.

frepnog:there is not a lot of reason to purchase an Android machine when you can buy a great tab that runs a full version of Windows and will run off-the-shelf software. Android has over-reached in my opinion, and should have remained a phone OS, because truth is that these days a stand alone android tab is redundant unless it was just DIRT cheap.

That's not necessarily true from a Linux users point of view. I'd love one of those Windows 8 tablets if it ran Android because I'd have access to Play for emulators, games, media, and a ton remote access tools plus I'd be able to run actual Linux programs or just boot directly into Linux -- Debian, Funtoo, or Majaro are my preferred distros, but I figure Ubuntu would be the best for touch environments.

Android is a good OS and has pretty good support for things like mice, keyboards, misc. USB devices, software modifications, custom kernels, and all sorts of geeky things. Android's problem is the vendors and manufacturers either poorly implement it, add crappy bloat, lock it down, and/or never upgrade/update the software. There's a world of difference between a cheap Chinese Android tablet and whatever **insert your favorite device manufacturer here** makes. There's even a major difference between a good locked-down Android phone and the same model unlocked, because with the unlocked one you might have the option of **insert rom here**, a better kernel than stock, or any number of improvements/fixes.

I have a two year old. He's smart - he's not even 2 1/2 and can count more than ten objects, knows most of his alphabet, speaks in complete sentences with subordinate clauses, has several books memorized, and yadda yadda.

He wants a computer, because he sees me working all day (I work from home). He has a horrible "kid's laptop" with a 100x80 pixel display that does not a whole lot and he knows it's "not a real computer."

I want to get him a tablet, so that he can directly manipulate parts of the interface, play with the interactive books (always with me or my wife; we're not looking for a babysitter), play matching games, etc...

I think a tablet is something worthwhile, because he's very interested in them - more so than he is in his wooden alphabet puzzle, for example.

What tablet is better? Is a tablet the right choice? I thinking an iPad, just because that's where the majority of the apps are. My wife wants something that has a web browser on it so that they can go to PBS Kids and ABC Mouse...

So yeah, any other farkers with toddlers with tablets? Any suggestions?

Check out the Nabi 2. I just got one for my son's birthday. He's autistic and just turned 10. The only disadvantage is that it doesn't have the Google Play store yet, but you can install the Amazon App store and it's not too bad.

I have a two year old. He's smart - he's not even 2 1/2 and can count more than ten objects, knows most of his alphabet, speaks in complete sentences with subordinate clauses, has several books memorized, and yadda yadda.

He wants a computer, because he sees me working all day (I work from home). He has a horrible "kid's laptop" with a 100x80 pixel display that does not a whole lot and he knows it's "not a real computer."

I want to get him a tablet, so that he can directly manipulate parts of the interface, play with the interactive books (always with me or my wife; we're not looking for a babysitter), play matching games, etc...

I think a tablet is something worthwhile, because he's very interested in them - more so than he is in his wooden alphabet puzzle, for example.

What tablet is better? Is a tablet the right choice? I thinking an iPad, just because that's where the majority of the apps are. My wife wants something that has a web browser on it so that they can go to PBS Kids and ABC Mouse...

So yeah, any other farkers with toddlers with tablets? Any suggestions?

I have a two year old. He's smart - he's not even 2 1/2 and can count more than ten objects, knows most of his alphabet, speaks in complete sentences with subordinate clauses, has several books memorized, and yadda yadda.

He wants a computer, because he sees me working all day (I work from home). He has a horrible "kid's laptop" with a 100x80 pixel display that does not a whole lot and he knows it's "not a real computer."

I want to get him a tablet, so that he can directly manipulate parts of the interface, play with the interactive books (always with me or my wife; we're not looking for a babysitter), play matching games, etc...

I think a tablet is something worthwhile, because he's very interested in them - more so than he is in his wooden alphabet puzzle, for example.

What tablet is better? Is a tablet the right choice? I thinking an iPad, just because that's where the majority of the apps are. My wife wants something that has a web browser on it so that they can go to PBS Kids and ABC Mouse...

So yeah, any other farkers with toddlers with tablets? Any suggestions?

i have an 18 month old and we got him a Nabi 2 for $100. He likes my ipad when I am using it and I have a lot of kids apps/books/games for him on it, but being a toddler, eventually he just plays with the case or wants to stand on the tablet, etc. so a $400 device for him to break or drool on seemed stiff. The Nabi was built for kids and supposedly made to be very durable which is why we choose it. He has been enjoying it and supposedly they are working on a deal to get google play on the device, right now you can only get apps thru amazon or Nabi. You can get google play, but you have to root it. IT has a child mode and 'mommy' mode. In fact, mommy has been playing with it more than the 18 month old. Just do a google search for "tablets for kids" and you will run across a few.

I hope my kid can do the same as yours in a year. Not talking yet (english at least) just babbles, but understands commands and signs, and very athletic it seems. Can walk, run, crawl up and down stairs, can lift 3 lbs dumbbells in one hand and is starting to be able to catch and throw. Doc's want him to see a hearing specialist since he isn't talking yet, grandparents just say kids all develop in their own way.

gingerjet:frepnog: you have a pretty serious point here. Android tabs are great and all, but you are correct - there is not a lot of reason to purchase an Android machine when you can buy a great tab that runs a full version of Windows and will run off-the-shelf software. Android has over-reached in my opinion, and should have remained a phone OS, because truth is that these days a stand alone android tab is redundant unless it was just DIRT cheap.

And you would be completely wrong. Here is what Apple and later Samsung has taught people. You don't need Windows or the bloatware that is sold for it. Which is really why Microsoft is falling down now. Their market share in their two key profit centers (Windows and Office) will continue to drop like rocks unless they offer meaningful lightweight alternatives and learn how to actually connect with consumers.

/they should just spin off xbox and rebrand themselves as an enterprise company

Falling down? This is the first year with meaningful movement in the stock price is a decade. I cashed out at 30 percent between March and October. Their enterprise division is absolutely kicking ass. Tell me this, why does everyone go on and on about spinning off xbox? Take a wild guess at what percentage of msft profits xbox represents. Go ahead, guess.

JohnBigBootay:Falling down? This is the first year with meaningful movement in the stock price is a decade. I cashed out at 30 percent between March and October. Their enterprise division is absolutely kicking ass. Tell me this, why does everyone go on and on about spinning off xbox? Take a wild guess at what percentage of msft profits xbox represents. Go ahead, guess.

lots of people like to pretend that Microsoft is "going away", to which NOTHING could be further from the truth.

it's like those people that truly think that 99 cent app games on Android phones are going to kill the console video game market, and that the new consoles will fail in the face of the OUYA.

frepnog:JohnBigBootay: Falling down? This is the first year with meaningful movement in the stock price is a decade. I cashed out at 30 percent between March and October. Their enterprise division is absolutely kicking ass. Tell me this, why does everyone go on and on about spinning off xbox? Take a wild guess at what percentage of msft profits xbox represents. Go ahead, guess.

lots of people like to pretend that Microsoft is "going away", to which NOTHING could be further from the truth.

it's like those people that truly think that 99 cent app games on Android phones are going to kill the console video game market, and that the new consoles will fail in the face of the OUYA.

The person Computer Desktop is dying and will be dead. Walled garden tablets will take its place. Eventually you'll have a power handheld PC the size of a phone that just wireless syncs to peripherals and displays of any caliber.

Doc Daneeka:Computers have gotten better in almost every way since the 80s, except keyboards, which have gotten way worse. We went from indestructible and precise IBM Model Ms, to squishy-key keyboards, to touchscreen keyboards.